As I began to read, ‘Daughters for a Time’ by Jennifer Handford, my heart was quickly drawn into the story of Helen. Helen and her husband Tim are chefs and own a successful restaurant. Although the restaurant is doing well and their relationship is strong, their marriage is driven by one main objective: having a child of their own. While Tim would love to be a Dad, Helen is all consumed by her desire to carry Tim’s baby and become a Mom.
Although I have not personally struggled with infertility, I have many friends who have as has my mom and I have heard of their heart ache as month after month life is just not as they desire it to be.
Helen, having already had a rough life in losing her mother to cancer as a young teen and a father who walked out on she and her older sister Claire at the same time, Helen knew heartache only too well. She wanted to overcome this hurt through life with a child. She had a hole in her heart that she dreamed a child would fill.
As time marched on, Helen and Tim chose to investigate other options of ways to grow their family, one of which was adoption from China. This is the part of the story that intrigued me most a I’m sure you an understand!
The author Jennifer Handford is herself an adoptive mom of a daughter from China so she understands much about the journey and adoptive parenting.
I was pleasantly surprised at the accuracy of the details and information about adoption from China. With the exception of the timeline (it took 1 year when in reality the wait is sadly 6+ years currently) the details and information were great! I appreciated that topics such as attachment, Forever Family Day and more were covered. Little details like mentioning not to immediately change the newly adopted child’s clothes as it helps with their adjustment were mentioned. Jennifer took time to add great little details that made me as an adoptive mom, appreciative.
When Tim and Helen return from China with their daughter Sam, they begin to adjust to being a family of 3. Unfortunately Helen’s world is rocked once again when her sister shares some difficult news. Helen’s life it thrown into turmoil once again but this time rather than allowing it to crush her as it did in the past, she rises above it and faces life head on!
I am someone who hates to know too many details about a book before I read it so I’m going to leave it at this.
I found myself not wanting to put this book down and would sneak in a few pages whenever I could. While it covers many difficult subjects like cancer, abandonment, infertility and more it brings you through with the feeling that you can rise above challenges and be a stronger person because of them.
If you enjoy a fictional novel sharing both challenges and joys; love and loss – Daughters for a Time is for you!
